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Monday, February 24, 2014

The common belief within the
toxic illness community seems to be that women are more likely than men to
develop the condition. This belief is reinforced by the fact that online
support groups appear to have a greater percentage of female than male
participants. I was somewhat surprised, then, to read an article this week that
detailed ways in which boys may be more vulnerable to environmental pollutants
than their female counterparts are.

The article,
published in Environmental Health News, makes the following points:

There’s a stronger link between air pollution
and autism in boys.

The insecticide chlorpyrifos, found in Dursban
and other products, seems to reduce the IQs of boys more than girls.

Boys are more susceptible to damage from
low-level lead exposure.

Phthalates, found in vinyl and many other
products, have been linked to larger behavioral changes, primarily
aggression and attention disorders, in boys

.

A study found that high in-utero exposure to
Bisphenol A (BPA), another ubiquitous chemical, caused hyperactivity,
aggression, and anxiety in boys, but not girls. The boys were also born
with lower thyroid hormones, while female levels were normal.

The author explains the
findings by noting that the pre-birth development of a female is simpler than
that of a male. It takes a greater number of cell divisions to make a male, and
with each division comes a greater vulnerability to toxic exposures.

After birth, these
vulnerabilities continue. In females, the XX chromosome offers a bit of back-up
protection, with a healthy X able to take over for one with a genetic defect. Males,
with their XY makeup, have no such backup system. The article also notes that X
chromosomes carry more genetic information, so the XY combination may mean a
loss of brain development proteins or repair mechanisms.

In addition, estrogen
protects the brain. Their lower estrogen levels mean that male brains are more
fragile and prone to injury. Hormone imbalances may contribute to a wide range
of chemical-related health effects, because many chemicals are endocrine
disruptors which suppress or mimic hormones.

If it’s true that the common
belief is that women are more vulnerable to chemical illness and the truth is
the opposite, why is that?Perhaps it’s
because we still have a lot to learn as a culture about all the possible
symptoms that toxic exposures can cause. There will always be differences
between boys and girls, but maybe some of the “natural boy” traits we’ve
assigned to the gender, such as aggression, hyperactivity, and lack of focus,
aren’t entirely natural after all.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

In 2006, physicians
associated with the Harvard School of Public Health and Mount Sinai hospital authored
an articlelinking common chemicals to neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Although
they noted that hundreds of chemicals are known to have neurotoxic effects,
they singled out five chemicals of special concern for developing brains. Last
week, in an articlepublished in the journal
Lancet Neurology, authors Philippe
Grandjean and Philip Landrigan added six more chemicals to the list.

Key points from the study
and reports of it by Forbes and CNNinclude the following:

Young and pre-born children are especially
sensitive to the effects of neurotoxins. Effects include autism and
lowered IQ. Landrigan notes, "Beyond IQ, we're talking about behavior
problems -- shortening of attention span, increased risk of ADHD. We're talking
about emotional problems, less impulse control, (being) more likely to
make bad decisions, get into trouble, be dyslexic and drop out of school.
... These are problems that are established early, but travel through
childhood, adolescence, even into adult life."

The chemicals are known to cross the blood brain
barrier. When this happens to children with developing brains the effects
are permanent.

Chemicals of concern include pesticides,
solvents, flame retardants, and more. The authors note that at least 1,000
chemicals have demonstrated an ability to interfere with brain function in
animal studies. Landrigan adds, "We are very worried that there are a
number of other chemicals out there in consumer products that we all
contact every day that have the potential to damage the developing brain,
but have never been safety tested.” Grandjean notes, "We are not
just talking about single chemicals anymore. We are talking about
chemicals in general."

The authors call for testing of all chemicals.
Landrigan notes that the problem is not one of capability, but of political will.

The Safe Chemicals Act continues
to languish in Washington.
Other countries have taken action. In 2007, the European Union enacted REACH (Registration,
Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). Landrigan remarks, "I find it very irritating some of the multinational manufacturers are now
marketing products in Europe and the U.S.
with the same brand name and same label, but in Europe (they) are free of toxic
chemicals and in the U.S.
they contain toxic chemicals."

Yep. I too, find it irritating. The words infuriating and ridiculous also come to mind. If the brain health of our most vulnerable doesn't move us to action, I'm not sure what will.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Does God care about the
issue of chemical toxins in common products?I believe the answer is an unequivocal “yes.”I also firmly believe he wants us to care
about it, too. Here’s why:

1. God created us with physical
bodies. Psalm 139:13-14 says, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my
body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. . . . Your workmanship is
marvelous.” God could have created us as
disembodied spirits, but he chose to house our spirits in intricately designed
physical forms.

2. God pays attention to the
state of our bodies. He knows us so completely and cares about our minds, souls,
and bodies so deeply that he is aware of how many hairs are on each person’s head
(Matthew 10:30). We are told in 1 Corinthians 6:13 that “our bodies . . . were
made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.”

3. Our bodies don’t belong
to us. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Don’t you realize that your body is the
temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do
not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor
God with your body.” Verse 15 says, “Don’t
you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? “

4. Because God owns our
bodies, they are to be used to honor and glorify him. We are called to be
living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), presenting our bodies to God for his use.

5. Being good stewards of
our physical forms means doing our best to keep them healthy and functioning
well. God can and does work through people with broken bodies, but that doesn’t
negate our responsibility to faithfully manage the physical resources we’ve
been given. The Bible instructs us on many aspects of physical health,
including diet, drinking, overeating, and the importance of rest.

6. The Bible also addresses
the issue of toxins. Although the man-made chemicals that saturate our
present-day world didn’t exist in Biblical times, the Bible gives us some
important clues on how to deal with them when it discusses household mold. Mold
can produce mycotoxins, which can affect the body in much the same way that
chemical toxins can. In Leviticus 14, God gave the Israelites detailed
instructions on how to proceed when they found mold in a home. The instructions
included scraping walls and removing affected stones, then tearing down the
house if the mold continued to spread. The instruction wasn’t to expect or pray for
protection from the toxin. The instruction was to go to great lengths to avoid
it.

7. We are called not just to
care for our own bodies, but to care for others, as well. No one can process an
unlimited amount of toxic material, but there are differences, due to age,
size, genetics, nutritional status, and other factors that affect how
efficiently any given body can detoxify any given chemical. A product that
doesn’t produce obvious symptoms in one person can cause another great
suffering. Avoiding toxins is not just for our own sakes, but for the sake of
those who share the air. Galatians 5:13-14 says, “For you have been called to
live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy
your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For
the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’” Philippians 2:4 says, “Everyone should look out not only for
his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

8. The use of toxic products
can prevent people from hearing the gospel, participating in Christian
fellowship, or using their gifts within the context of a church body. Chemicals
can contaminate schools, workplaces, stores, medical buildings, and any other
public place. When they contaminate a church building, however, there may be
serious spiritual ramifications. When people have reactions to building,
cleaning, personal care or other products used in a church building or on the
bodies, clothes, and hair of other people there, they are likely to look for
fellowship and spiritual food elsewhere. Likewise, toxic products used within a
home limit the degree to which it can be used for hospitality and ministry.

Life is busy, and the world
is full of both important and not-so-important things that claim our attention.
It’s impossible to focus on everything. I do believe, however, that choosing
whether or not to use toxic products is a foundational issue. Lack of health
limits the extent to which we can fully address other important needs, and
causing others unnecessary suffering just isn’t acceptable. We should care
about this.

About Me

My family spent most of the 1990s serving in Peru as missionaries. During our time of service, my health deteriorated to the point that I could no longer continue to live there. Small exposures to a wide range of chemical triggers caused many symptoms, including debilitating pain. The condition is known as MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). I was also eventually diagnosed with Lyme Disease and mold poisoning.
Part of the missionary task is identifying unreached people groups. After returning to the states and becoming part of the MCS world, I came to see that people with MCS belong in that category. We’re largely unseen, but there are a significant and growing number of us and we’re shut out of most churches and Christian gatherings.
MCS has taught me a lot of lessons about the chemical hazards in common, everyday products and I’d like other people not to have to learn those lessons the hard way, like I did. I’d like Christians to take the issue seriously, both for their own sakes, and the sakes of others who are currently shut out of most churches because of product choices others make. This issue matters greatly to those of us with MCS. I think it matters to God, too.